Continued

1
Chapter 3

• Continued

2
Peoples Choice

• 1940 Presidential Election
• FDR vs Wendell Wilkie
• Lazarsfeld, Berelson, Gaudet
• Erie County, Ohio
• 3,000 interviewed/5 groups of 600
• 1 randomly selected MAIN panel
• Other were control panels

3
Peoples Choice

• MAIN panel interviewed numerous times
• CONTROL panels only once
• RESULTS
• Using category memberships, voting intentions and
  actual voting behavior were predictable
• Media part of a web of influences others were
  personal characteristics, social category,
  families, friends, other associates

4
Peoples Choice

• MAIN panel interviewed numerous times
• CONTROL panels only once
• RESULTS
• Using category memberships, voting intentions and
  actual voting behavior were predictable
• Media part of a web of influences others were
  personal characteristics, social category,
  families, friends, other associates

5
Peoples Choice

• Major conclusion media has selective and
  limited influence
• Serendipity
• Two step flow of communication
• People chose contemporaries and they interpreted
  the media messages and then in turn influenced
  them
• Outcome Limited Influence Theory

6
Limited Influence Theory

• The media do not have powerful effects, but only
  minimal influences that are modified by other
  factors (such as individual differences, social
  categories, and social relationships) that
  significantly limit those influences

7
Studies of Childrens TV Viewing (way too many)

• Led to Uses and Gratifications theory
• Many hours a day and rising
• Used for fantasy original studies said no truly
  dramatic problems from this
• Profile for more use 1)poor 2)grades 6-8 3)less
  intelligent
• Second Surgeon General report revealed link
  between viewing violence and aggression

8
Uses and Gratifications Theory

• The audience was found to be active and not
  passive in selecting media content for personal
  uses and gratifications.
• Choices are made on the basis of individual
  needs, interests, values based on all aspects of
  socialization.
• Socialization will predispose the person to
  select certain media they will use for diversion
  or entertainment or problem solving.

9
The Bottom Line

• We progressed from Magic Bullet to Selected and
  Limited Influence to Uses and Gratifications.
• All of this led to The mass media are quite
  limited in their influences in people who select
  and attend to any particular message.
• If this happened with movies and TV, imagine the
  future of the Internet studies!